Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,597 in Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
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Madeira Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,597

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madeira and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Madeira and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,597 in Madeira versus $934 in Cebu.

Madeira $1,597
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,383 in Madeira versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Madeira $2,383
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,169 in Madeira versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Madeira $3,169
Cebu $1,896

Living in Madeira is roughly 71% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Madeira is 19% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 €10.37

$3.03 ₱190

283.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.16 €41.19

$23.48 ₱1,473

96.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 €8.14

$4.09 ₱256

122.98%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.88

$2.52 ₱158

-16.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.54 ₱96.9

20.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.49 ₱30.98

191.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.79 ₱112

26.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.16

$2.26 ₱142

56.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.95 ₱122

-44.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.43 ₱89.7

6.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.02 ₱63.8

56.86%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$2.06 ₱129

45.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 €10.29

$9.81 ₱615

17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 €6.86

$4.61 ₱289

66.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 €12.49

$7.70 ₱483

81.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$3.31 ₱207

-29.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.45 ₱90.9

-2.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.36 ₱148

-23.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.54 ₱96.4

62.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.36 ₱148

-36.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.99 ₱125

-3.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.15 ₱72.1

34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.67 ₱42.15

25.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 €5.39

$3.00 ₱188

101.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 €4.66

$6.35 ₱398

-17.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.31 ₱81.9

-0.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.73 ₱108

34.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 €2.11

$0.25 ₱15.78

844.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.32 €37.77

$12.65 ₱793

234.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.82

$0.74 ₱46.32

478.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.21 ₱13.11

276.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.53 €15.65

$4.33 ₱271

304.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.33 ₱83.5

42.86%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.4K €31.6K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

62.50%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.1K €34.9K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

101.47%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$134 €120

$121 ₱7,563

11.13%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$20.90 €18.65

$14.45 ₱907

44.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.95 €37.44

$28.29 ₱1,774

48.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.41 €38.74

$32.68 ₱2,050

32.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.37 €15.50

$6.39 ₱401

171.83%

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 €7.45

$5.46 ₱342

52.93%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$473 €422

$273 ₱17.1K

72.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,183 €7,303

$8,156 ₱511.5K

0.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 €66.7

$49.57 ₱3,109

50.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 €34.01

$24.87 ₱1,560

53.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 €82.0

$76.6 ₱4,804

20.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.8 €82.8

$59.3 ₱3,717

56.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €816

$506 ₱31.7K

80.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 €640

$309 ₱19.4K

131.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 €1,291

$1,052 ₱66.0K

37.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,021

$619 ₱38.8K

84.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,012 €2,688

$2,915 ₱182.9K

3.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 €2,103

$1,867 ₱117.1K

26.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

7.2

-30.42%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Madeira: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Madeira

$717 45.1%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 56.9% $408

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.5%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 14.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$197 12.4%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 17% $34

Eating Out

Madeira

$177 11.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 50.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$134 8.4%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 29.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 27.5% $17

Getting Around

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 74.3% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $914 in Madeira and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Madeira vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

15:28 3:28 PM

7 h ahead of Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madeira Cebu 13,680 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
Cebu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Madeira vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,395 in Madeira and $1,401 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $914 in Madeira versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,597 per month in Madeira versus $934 in Cebu – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 235% less than in Madeira. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,597 in Madeira, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Madeira. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Madeira, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Madeira and Cebu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Madeira. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.